In an interview Bernie Madoff granted on Tuesday to an attorney representing a group of people he defrauded, the infamous Ponzi schemer expressed bewilderment over having gotten away with his crimes for as long as he did.

"There were several times that I met with the SEC and thought 'they got me,'" Madoff told Joseph Cotchett, a San Francisco lawyer threatening to sue his wife, sons and brother on behalf of a group of victims.

"I was surprised at how candid he was," Cotchett told ABCNews.com after the session, the first time Madoff has talked with outside lawyers. Madoff refused to cooperate with the FBI after his initial, largely untruthful confession last December.

Cotchett said Madoff was "very articulate, very direct" and did not appear to hold back anything. "He talked about how he pulled it off, how many years he got away with it," the lawyer said.

Cotchett also said that Madoff "doesn't give a shit" about his two sons and that he's looking rather "buff" since he entered prison a few months ago, which begs the question: Do old Jews get hit on in prison?